I didn't expect this season to be such a direct continuation of S4, and it took a few episodes to really get going. That said, I enjoyed it and find it interesting how different characters really came through this year (particularly Maeby).

Gob was fantastic, and I thought this was also a strong return to form for George Michael. Michael felt aimless, and the Buster storyline suffered by the lack of interaction between him and Lucille, which is where we shines. I'm really mixed on Tobias, as his physical comedy saved some episodes, but I also thought the premise for him this season was too thin to spread across that many episodes.

I'll have to rewatch to really process, but so far I'd put it above S4.

Ok, there's a scene where George Sr drops down in the anchor into the water, and is conveniently exactly where Michael and George Michael are underwater. I don't understand how they ended up in the same place ?? Also that scene looks REALLY bad

Ok, there's a scene where George Sr drops down in the anchor into the water, and is conveniently exactly where Michael and George Michael are underwater. I don't understand how they ended up in the same place ?? Also that scene looks REALLY bad

So, I finished up season 5. And... I really didn't like. Really didn't like it. A lot.

I'm gonna echo a lot of thoughts already posted in this thread but it's hard to not to when the problems with the season are obvious. First of all, from the technical point of view, it's a disaster. Season 5 simply looks absurdly cheap. It's badly lit which is the main culprit for it's cheap look. Direction and editing are really boring, there is absolutely nothing imaginative about it (compare it to earlier seasons, direction and editing of first 3 seasons was really good for a comedy show and often supplemented the joke, now that's completely gone). Compositing is just bad and makes the rampant use of green screen very obvious (that one was a problem in season 4 too, but you'd think they would improve 5 years later).

Secondofly, writing is just bad. Maybe it's gonna be somewhat redeemed by the back half, but it doesn't feel to be building up to these intertwined jokes like season 4 so I can't imagine right now it can stick the landing as well as season 4 did. As said by Ushojax previous seasons had self-contained stories that built up towards a larger overarching narrative, now it's a continuing narrative that's chopped up into parts... and it's not really too interesting of a narrative either. This season is completely stuck between wanting to break away from season 4 while shoddily trying to continue from the individual cliffhangers and building towards... something new perhaps that's not entirely apparent at the time. Thing is, it's not doing good job at neither continuing old plotlines nor breaking away from them. Not to mention some bizarre continuity breaks that make no sense (the move from 2012 to 2015 for some cheap Trump jokes is at least handwaved somewhat within the narrative but it still feels sloppy... not to mention Buster ending season 4 with his arrest... and then not being arrested in season 5? For the murder that seemed to have been confirmed immediately after Cinco de Cuatro but nobody really knows what happened? What?). Arrested Development always had great use of continuity and what they're doing now is thoroughly disappointing. Overall, a lot of jokes fall flat, are either unfunny or badly timed due to sloppy editing (as mentioned on the last page, Milford Academy Parade) and entire plotlines are just thoroughly unfunny (George Sr. and GOB's Mexico adventure.... eh....).

Now, onto individual Bluths....

Lindsay and Buster - there's not much to say here, is there. Lindsay is barely in the thing and is just green screened into several scenes. Buster appears in some scenes but barely has any material to work with and desperately needs some better material to play off other family members.

Lucille, George Sr and Michael are all there and have some material that's decent at time but most of the time they're just boring. At least Michael got my favorite joke of the season, with navigation towards the cottage.

Tobias plot line is just a disaster. Unfunny, messy and Tobias really doesn't work without Lindsay. Murphybrown's appearance falls completely flat for me and is thoroughly perplexing. Was it supposed funny in on itself that Tobias suddenly has an adult bastard son? I don't know. It doesn't work. And his character is cringy throughout the entire thing - and not in a good way, like in the past seasons.

GOB is the biggest disappointment. GOB's character arc in season 4 was amazing and his episodes were among the best in the entire series. All of that is.. gone, just like that, poof. His plotline is completely unfunny, the jokes are unfunny and Will Arnett does a surprisingly bad job at playing the character. His acting is really off and his comedic timing is absolutely awful (though it does seem to get a bit better in later episodes). I don't know what happened but he went from the best character in season 4 to the worst in season 5. I just couldn't stomach his scenes.

George Michael and Maeby are clear stand-outs of the season. Michael Cera seems to have really cared about the character and his character works really well. And Maeby's material is easily the best thing about season 5, funny, original, true to the character and Alia Shawkat does tremendous job at playing her. I never considered Maeby among my favorite characters (except maybe for studio executive plotline for it's sheer ridiculousness) but I'm honestly 100% sold on Maeby in season 5. A very pleasant surprise in a huge ocean of disappointment.

Bluth being together was supposed to be a huge aspect of the season but they don't play off each other too well anymore and the reunion is wasted on half-baked plotlines and unfunny jokes. It's a shame really, but that's what it is. Season 4 at least did something interesting with the story and structure of the show and the back half was really great, now all the mojo is lost. Arrested Development is a shell of it's former self, what a shame.

The last two episodes are weird. They feel like the most true to the spirit of the show of all the Netflix episodes (lots of scenes between characters,zaniness, some plotty pay-off stuff) but I didn't laugh a single time. Season five was pretty much a wash outside of Maebe's storyline and a few decent Michael Cera line readings.

Can someone explain season 4 remix to me? Years ago my ex was watching this show. I'm not sure how much I watched, maybe it was season 3 I started watching? Anyway I remember season 4 seemed funny... Anyway I'm watching the remix version now. Exactly how different is this? Why does it exist? Do they fundamentally change the plot?

Can someone explain season 4 remix to me? Years ago my ex was watching this show. I'm not sure how much I watched, maybe it was season 3 I started watching? Anyway I remember season 4 seemed funny... Anyway I'm watching the remix version now. Exactly how different is this? Why does it exist? Do they fundamentally change the plot?

Season 4 was originally structured so that each episode mostly focused on a single character and their adventures - the remix chops them up and pastes them together to create a (somewhat) more traditional, linear narrative.

You can check out the original season 4 in the Trailers and Extras section if you want to see what it was like.

I was finally able to finish my binge of seasons 1-4 (didn't realize s4 had so many episodes) and am three episodes into s5. I'm enjoying it so far. Surprisingly to see so many people down on it (from this page, anyway).

On the penultimate episode right now and, sadly, Arrested Development's quality still hasn't picked up too much from Season 4's slump. It's depressing because there was a time where I could proudly proclaim that AD was one of my heralded television comedies period. Now, I have to place a disclaimer like with The Office (US).

On a brighter note, "Marry Me" from Season 4 still get a chuckle and the brief "Mister Heffe" with the cowboys' first appearance had me dying. Unfortunately, most of the arcs simply feel drab without a strong pivot or recurring joke tying things together like some in the past.

Maeby continues to deliver for me, though I feel like there was an absence of Lucille (who was easily one of the best legs of the first few seasons). She gets some zingers, but not nearly enough screen time compared to Gob's unfunny arc. Tobias fell completely flat this season too. It simply still isn't the evolution of the show I wanted and I wish I could break down how the focus went so wrong between both the recent seasons.

Edit: And now I'm just finding out this is only half the season. Well, it doesn't give me much confidence, though the last two episodes were a little more amusing than the rest. Here's hoping for a better second half.

I think the way they followed up George Michael punching Michael was hilarious. A friggin' martial arts class on fighting your own family members. The hall scene and scene outside Rebel's apartment where they both eye potential improvised weapons were golden.

Yeah. Her character has no personality. Which would be fine if it was like a Marta situation where the joke was more of a joke about settling down but yeah to extend that plotline for so long without a real funny payoff has been the worst.

I considered that I may just be thinking of the older seasons with Rose colored glasses on but iver the last couple days I've just been going back and selecting random season 2 episodes to watch and the quality just blows away season 5 by all metrics. There's quality one liners, coherent episode long story arcs, good call backs and references that do more with the joke then just repeat a funny thing that once happened but actually transform it into something better.

Season 5 has some moments, but I don't see us ever getting back to the overall quality of season 1/2/3 with the way the series seems to be heading.

Finished the episodes yesterday. It was a weird half season. On the one hand, the style felt closer to the early seasons, and there have been some quality moments overall. On the other hand, it sometimes felt slightly weird. First of all, some actors visibly aged which made it weird that there was no time skip, especially Gob was glaring. There were also a couple dialogues that went on too long, especially between George Michael and Maeby, whose chemistry felt forced for the first time ever. It felt like they were reusing a lot of elements and keeping it safe, dodging around storylines instead of going into them fully. It was still a very entertaining season, and I don't think I can ever get enough of this show. I'd really love them to make it become a yearly appointment, but I can see how this is unlikely for multiple reasons.

I didn't know about the greenscreen specifically beforehand, but noticed something up with the framing and the lighting in almost all of Portia's scenes, and it's only after that when I came online I found out because she wasn't physically on set most of the time.

I was feeling a bit down on the show when watching some of the remix season, but Season 5 feels like it's a step back in the right direction to me, I'm enjoying the Maeby/Cera and Gob plots especially, and feel like it's getting better as it goes along. Fingers crossed this continues in part 2!

Well, I finished it. I'm surprised it ending on such non-conclusion again. Unless we are getting more episodes? Is this just half a season?

The humor worked sometimes. It was at it's best when the family was together (episode 2 or 3 I think). Splitting them up never works well, and it shows. Buster was severely lacking in this season, and he's consistently one of the funniest characters in the show, even when it's bad (he's the best part of season 4, for example). Maeby was the highlight of this season for me, pretending to be an old lady was pretty funny. Everything else was pretty forgettable, honestly. Tobias didn't get any laughs out of me at all this season, honestly. Gob, who was once the funniest character, didn't do much for me either. I think it's so bogged down with individual character storylines, that it just doesn't work anymore. It worked in S1-3 because the characters were generally together, and the individual story arcs interwove with others in the family. Here, it just feels like I'm watching 5 individual shows of characters who all happen to be related.

I'm ready for a spin-off show with just George Michael and Maeby moving to New York or something, navigating their late 20s in the shadow of a terrible family history.

Is there a reason (plot or production) why the condo was so rarely used this season? I hope it wasn't just for the terrible condo joke.

I always felt the model home was a character on the show because it led to so much physical comedy. And, they basically killed it at the very beginning of season 4. And then for some reason the condo was not used and it is unclear why.

Is there a reason (plot or production) why the condo was so rarely used this season? I hope it wasn't just for the terrible condo joke.

I always felt the model home was a character on the show because it led to so much physical comedy. And, they basically killed it at the very beginning of season 4. And then for some reason the condo was not used and it is unclear why.

Hm. As someone who has only watched season 4 and season 4 remix years later, I'm finding this season 5 particularly lacking. Doesn't seem as cleverly written as season 4. I haven't really seen the other seasons to compare though.

Hm. As someone who has only watched season 4 and season 4 remix years later, I'm finding this season 5 particularly lacking. Doesn't seem as cleverly written as season 4. I haven't really seen the other seasons to compare though.

S1-3 are loads different from S4. It used to be about the whole family interacting and their various levels of lunacy, with Michael generally being the straight man trying to contain them all. The humour was very quick-fire and jokes were re-used and evolved across multiple episodes. Episodes would usually contain a mini-plot (i.e. Michael hiring a publicist to improve their image), with the bigger plot moving forward in the background (i.e. George Snr being in jail), although some mini-plots were extended over several episodes (i.e. Marta). If you liked S4 I would really recommend you watch 1-3, as the humour was loads better and it has a much lighter tone.

I think the way they followed up George Michael punching Michael was hilarious. A friggin' martial arts class on fighting your own family members. The hall scene and scene outside Rebel's apartment where they both eye potential improvised weapons were golden.

I guess Netflix saw that general reactions to the season aren't too hot (from viewers and critics alike) so there's no season to drag it out if it's not winning any awards. Second half that far away would probably warrant additional marketing campaign and they likely don't want to repeat their last press circuit. AD is dead.

I guess Netflix saw that general reactions to the season aren't too hot (from viewers and critics alike) so there's no season to drag it out if it's not winning any awards. Second half that far away would probably warrant additional marketing campaign and they likely don't want to repeat their last press circuit. AD is dead.

If the second half of S5 is of a similar standard to the first then it’s definitely dead. It’s like they forgot to write any jokes for half the characters. I spend more time looking for traces of green screen in every scene than I do laughing.